


Rush

by MCUsic_to_my_ears



Series: ScienceBrosWeek2017 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Amusement Parks, Anxiety, Brian Banner's A+ Parenting, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Fear, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic, Protective Bruce Banner, Roller Coasters, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 06:58:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11481093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCUsic_to_my_ears/pseuds/MCUsic_to_my_ears
Summary: On the opening day of their local amusement park, Bruce learns that Tony is not as big of a fan of roller coasters as he is. Comforting ensues. (High School AU)For day three of Science Bros Week 2017.Prompt: Rush





	Rush

Screams echoed around them. The smell of sweat and the hot sun stung their noses. Bruce grinned. 

“I love amusement parks,” he exclaimed as they walked through the turnstile. 

Tony rolled his eyes. “The only purpose for this sun-baked advertisement is to sell funnel cake and pretzels to whining kindergartners and their broke ass parents,” he not-so-subtlety complained. 

A group of fifth graders ran in front of the soon-to-be seniors and a few parents trailed behind them. Bruce smiled at them as they rushed toward the next ride. “You’re just jealous because they’re free from the woes of this world,” the teen joked. 

“Dear," Tony said pointedly, "You’re the only one that experiences woes in this world.” He quirked his eyebrows. “The rest of us are here to party.”

Bruce smiled ironically, although he was a little hurt that Tony would bring that up during their Summer Funstravaganza, Tony’s words, not his, but he brushed it off in lieu of casually grabbing the fellow teen’s hand and leading him toward the first ride. 

Tony, for his part, followed and kept himself from making snide comments at every love-sick teenager he saw, since he was one of them, and every ignorant, wonder and snot filled child he saw, since he was once one of them. It didn’t hurt that Bruce was so damned excited to be there, even though it was well over ninety degrees in the sunscreen soaked concrete jungle. The brunette had worked to convince his aunt for months to let him and Tony go to the opening weekend alone. But some god had let his slightly overbearing aunt see the light, so presto: here they were. 

“The first ride is called the Mumba and it goes upside down a few times, so it should be fun.”

“You sure we want to go on that one? The lines going to be huge,” Tony reasoned, watching as a young boy on a bench offered his purple balloon to a little girl of about the same age. 

Bruce shrugged, “All the lines are going to be long, it’s opening weekend. What did you expect?” he teased. 

Tony squeezed Bruce’s hand a little, likely more to reassure himself more than anything else. “Then, might I also add that that thing sounds fucking insane? Like, I really don’t understand why you want to get on that monstrosity. I’ve tried to wrap my mind around it, but to no avail, man.” 

“Tony,” Bruce asked, dramatically, “Are you a roller coaster prude?” he put his hand over his heart as if the very idea pained him. 

“What?! No. No, I’m just trying to optimize our time here, and I really think that if we start in the back and work our way forward, we’d have way more fun and be able to ride way more rides,” the young prodigy argued. 

His boyfriend raised his eyebrows, “The back of this park is where the kid rides are, you know that right? With the caterpillar and the apple? You can actually be too tall to ride those ones,” he informed, continuing to guide Tony toward the first ride of the park. “Besides, we got here before the park even opened, the lines won’t get too long for at least another hour, but if we don’t hurry up,” he stressed, “then all these twelve year olds might beat us to it,” he joked. 

Tony sighed. “Fine. We’ll go.”

Bruce literally  _ beamed _ . Like, if Tony were to look directly his face, he would’ve been blinded and had to transfer to a School for the Handicapped to learn Braille and how to use a cane. The other teen quickly moved forward through the rapidly growing crowd, oblivious to Tony’s anxious, spiraling thoughts. He positioned them into the line, hopping onto the metal fence and dragging Tony up with him. Slowly, they moved closer to the turnstiles and Tony felt his heart pound a little harder. 

“You’re such a fucking adrenaline drunkie,” he muttered as they neared the front of the line. 

“What? And you’re not?” Bruce scoffed, shoving Tony playfully. It brightened the displaced teen’s mood a little to think that his boyfriend felt happy and safe enough to touch him in a way that might be interpreted as threatening. But Tony still shook his head vigorously, if not a little sarcastically. “All the dangerous things I do are in controlled environments with machines and technology that I make. If I die there, it’s my fault. If I die here, I don’t know who to blame.” 

“... I feel like this makes that opposite of your point.” 

Tony shrugged as his eyes locked onto the unloading seats for the ride. The crowd leaving were a little shaky on their feet, but most seemed thrilled with the experience. 

Tony didn’t understand how Bruce could consider being scared as a means to have fun, especially due to his stormy childhood. What the brunette didn’t realize was that while that fear was constant, it wasn’t controllable. Here, Bruce knew he had an out and he could choose whether or not he was going to feel that terrifying drop in the pit of his stomach. And that, to him, was exhilarating. 

Whatever it was, though, it wasn’t stopping them from walking out of the line and being directed to the third car. As the employees of the park checked their straps and the metal bars that went over the high schoolers’ shoulders, Bruce remarked, “The adrenaline rush is a hundred percent worth it, if you’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous. If anything, I’m- what’s the opposite of nervous? Stoned? I’m practically stoned over here,” he babbled. 

The last of the safety checks were cleared and the ride jerked forward, leading them to their first, and largest, incline. Tony started searching for Bruce’s hand, and when he found it, the teen gripped it within every inch of his life. “God, you’re going to give me a heart condition,” Tony complained as their car tipped backwards, his anxious energy moving toward actual fear. 

“I think it’s the other way around,” Bruce teased, but he still gave Tony a reassuring squeeze. 

It didn’t particularly help, and he began chanting to himself, “Holy shit. Holy shit. Fucking holy shit hell, Bruce. Why did I let you talk me into this?!” His last word turned into a scream as their car went over the top of the incline and sent them hurtling toward the ground. 

Bruce’s screams were more of elation, jumping out of his throat in such excitement. He threw his hands into the air, sending Tony’s up with him as they went through the first loop. The terrified senior squeezed his eyes shut and shrieked along with the rest of the riders. A few more nausea inducing, upside down turns later, Tony found himself fighting for breath and shaking. He realized he was being shoved out of the car by Bruce, the metal bars having released moments before. 

“Don’t ever fucking do that to me again,” Tony threatened weakly as he put his trembling weight onto his boyfriend. “That was literal torture.” 

Bruce smiled, guiding them to a bench. “There are at least four more rides that I want to go on here, but we can head to the back if you want.”

“With the caterpillar?” Tony asked meekly. 

“With the caterpillar,” Bruce promised. They hauled themselves up, and trekked back toward the children’s rides, buying a couple pretzels on their way. 


End file.
